Elton John Concert
By Jim Lee | May 4, 2011 - 3:34 pm
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/app/blogs/camera_angles/?p=1699
Elton John was fun to shoot. I was allowed to shoot for about ten minutes from in front of the stage, which is actually a fairly long time compared to some concerts. Since I knew ahead of time that I was going to have a good shooting position I only took two lenses, a 24-70/2.8 on my 5DII and a 70-200/2.8 on my 7D. http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/app/blogs/camera_angles/?p=1699
The wide shots were all shot on manual exposure since the spotlights and black backgrounds could play havoc with my exposures. Many of the tighter long-lens shots were shot on aperture priority, some on manual. You can see many more shots from the evening in the photo gallery.
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Some Elton John observations
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/app/blogs/bruceblog/?p=2078 By admins | May 4, 2011 - 12:19 pm
All day Tuesday folks were buzzing that Eminem was coming to the Tyson Events Center Tuesday night for the Elton John concert.If he was there, I didn’t spot him (apparently, he’s making a movie about Sir Elton). And, considering the crowd included a lot of Sioux City’s who’s who, he would have stood out.
Sly and the Family Stone vets were among Elton’s back-up singers (a rousing foursome that could have really worked a religious revival) and longtime drummer Nigel Olsson was one of two percussionists.
Other than those performers, we didn’t see any other celebs.
We did, however, notice how great Sir Elton’s hair looks. Usually, it’s kinda sketchy, but in Sioux City it was stylin’ (could it be our water?). He also had diamond-monogrammed glasses and a Crocodile Rock sequinned jacket. Rings? He only wore one.
An ice bucket near his Yamaha piano was filled a couple of times with tall glasses of water. And when he was done with a particularly long song, he’d walk the stage, work the crowd and smile. At one point, he even bared his belly. He did kicks from the piano bench, pounded the top of it like a percussion instrument and sat on it at one point. And then? Before the encore, he even signed autographs and shook hands.
Before that encore, he also thanked the audience for being so supportive over the years and so welcoming Tuesday night. And the concertgoers were. When he first came out, more cameras started poppin’ than you’d find at a Brangelina sighting. It was like lightning going through the floor. Later, the applause for one song swelled like a wave. There hasn’t been a similar response in all of the Tyson’s history.
Interestingly, folks stood quite a bit during the concert. (Teens — take note. Some of those standing were the same exact people who complained about you standing during a rock or country concert.)
During “Philadelphia Freedom” a beach ball made its way around the audience but it didn’t have the same life as ones at Beach Boy concerts.
And audience members? They wore those boas and hats that were for sale, but they also came with fun glasses and cups that lit.
While the area in front of the stage was pretty clear for most of the concert, it became a little mosh pit near the end. Then, fans pushed forward, started waving their programs and a few lucky ones even got them signed.
An insider who met Elton said he smelled particularly good. (A signature scent, perhaps? Coming to a store near you.)
And most people said they really loved the concert. The drawback? The sound. Many said the concert was too loud. But if you’re a regular at these things, you’ve got to do what I did — invest in professional earplugs. They give you the singer’s voice without the drummer’s thump. They’re wonderful and you don’t suffer the next day.
Other impressions? You tell me. I couldn’t be everywhere. But I was sure glad I was one of the ones there.
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